Mental Health Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-22
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Matt Carthy (SF), Cavan-Monaghan

I will explain what I do not understand. I have a letter from the HSE, dated last July, which states that the HSE capital plan includes this provision and that the HSE is looking at appointing the design team. Has that happened or not? Is the Minister of State saying that the last year has basically been wasted in terms of moving this project forward? Will there now be a new appraisal of whether this project enters the capital plan at all? Along with Senator Tully, I recently met the mother of a young man who spent time in this unit in Cavan hospital and tragically, very shortly after leaving, he died by suicide. It was a very tragic case. This woman has made it her life's mission to ensure that future young people get a better service than she feels her son did. She believes that a new acute mental health service at Cavan hospital - a stand-alone facility above ground level, which should not be too much to ask - must be delivered as quickly as possible. The Minister of State can cite all the other failures in other parts of the country, but I and the people of Cavan and Monaghan and beyond need to know whether this is a commitment and a priority. When will it actually be delivered?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:32+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-22